October 2015 www.volleyballengland.org
BEA CH TOUR D BALL ENGLAN Y E L L O V F O E MAGAZIN THE OFFICIAL
LONDON LEGACY VOLLEYBALL CUP
Photos from the Copper Box
MARGATE MASTERS
THE FINALS OF THE 2015 BEACH TOUR
HEVO Conference
Lifting Volleyball Higher and Higher in Universities
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MAG COVER TO GO HERE
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WELCOME Welcome message from Nathan French & Volleyball England President, Geoff Allen
Cover photo Mariusz Wlazly in action at the London Legacy Volleyball Cup Photo by Grant McGonagle Bimonthly - Volume 15 - No 03 ISSN 1479-0785 If you would like your news or views printed in 3Touch Volleyball, get in touch with the editor at: Volleyball England SportPark, Loughborough University, No. 3 Oakwood Drive, Loughborough Leicestershire LE11 3QF E-mail: info@volleyballengland.org Tel: 01509 227 722 Fax: 01509 227 733 English Volleyball Association Ltd. is registered in England number 2023635.
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VOLLEY NEWS News and views from the world of volleyball
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REFEREE UPDATE Catch up on the new rule changes
12 HEVO CONFERENCE Biggest HEVO Conference Ever!
14 LONDON LEGACY VOLLEYBALL CUP Photos from the largest UK volleyball event since 2012
Published October 2015 by
18 SAINSBURY’S SCHOOL GAMES Newark Street, Accrington, Lancs BB5 0BP Email: info@mercer-print.co.uk
Editorial Board: Lisa Wainwright - Chief Executive Mark Pritchard - Marketing and Media Officer Volleyball England: 01509 227 722 © Volleyball England 2015 For all queries regarding subscriptions, non-receipt and address changes, email Volleyball England at info@ volleyballengland.org or write to Volleyball England at the address shown above. Please include your affiliation number in all correspondence. Although this is an official publication of Volleyball England, the views expressed in this magazine may not be those of the Association. Products appearing in 3Touch Volleyball magazine are not necessarily endorsed by Volleyball England. All contributions welcomed. These should be emailed to the editor at info@volleyballengland.org, where possible, or sent to Volleyball England for the attention of the editor, 3Touch Volleyball magazine. All photographs should be captioned to identify their contents and the photographer noted to acknowledge the source. Volleyball England Equality Statement: Volleyball England supports the principle of equal opportunities for all participants, members, representatives and employees whilst working for, or on behalf of the EVA. It opposes all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination on the grounds of age, colour, race, nationality, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, marital status, sexuality, HIV status, or unrelated criminal convictions, or disability.
All of the action from this year’s games in Manchester
20 VEBT FINALS Sun, sea and sand in Margate
24 GO SPIKE BIG WEEKENDS A round up of this year’s Big Weekend events
26 GOVERNANCE UPDATE Updates from the AGM
27 WHITFIELD WEEKEND REPORT Ron Richards reports from the Whitfield Festival and its new venue
Volleyball England is committed to customer service and its continued improvement. We have produced a Customer Charter, which puts the importance of customer service levels at the forefront of the way volunteers and staff carry out their duties. You can download the charter here http://bit.ly/209FxrE
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e m o c Wel Geoff Allen President
Nathan French
GB Volleyball Player
Pic: volleyballphotos.co.uk
PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
GUEST’S WELCOME
Welcome to 3Touch.
Hi, volleyball fans, and welcome to the October edition of 3Touch!
You will see various reports about the London Legacy Volleyball Cup elsewhere in this issue. If you missed the action, you missed a great weekend’s volleyball. The venue, organisation of the event and all the teams were excellent. The event was one of the first of Volleyball England’s goals towards achieving our Strategy 2024. If we are to increase the numbers playing volleyball, improve our playing standards and attract more commercial support, we have to raise our profile. The LLVC certainly helped towards that. After the 2012 Olympics we suffered some setbacks, losing our national team funding and much of the media profile that had built up with the Olympics. We have retrenched, gradually regaining support for our national teams and establishing strategies and systems for growth. Now, we’re ready to grow our sport again -increasing numbers playing, improving standards, upping our profile and attracting more commercial support. At the beginning of a new season, are you ready to play your part? Have a great season.
Best Regards Geoff Allen
Last season proved a challenging time for Team Northumbria and thanks to all the players, coaches and staff we were able to have a very successful season. We are looking forward to getting going with the next one - and hopefully retaining our titles! It has also been a very busy year off the court, with us seeing over 50,000 children across the North East, sharing our experiences as elite volleyball players and passing on healthy living messages. We’ve received great feedback – everybody loved how engaging, fun and challenging volleyball was. This is why we created the Sports Pledge – a programme that delivers a healthy living message directly to primary schools through animation and volleyball. Our company, Your Student Body, has a partnership with Costa to assist with the delivery of the Sports Pledge and we donate to the Costa Foundation to help build sustainable volleyball activity across the UK and worldwide. We have also worked closely with Volleyball England on the programme and we’re looking forward to continuously working alongside them in the future. The London Legacy Volleyball Cup was an amazing start to this season. To be playing in the Copper Box at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park against some world-class teams was unforgettable. Team Northumbria ladies and men winning one game each has definitely given us confidence going into the season and being able to inspire some younger volleyballers in the crowd was a privilege. We would love to take this chance to say THANK YOU for all the support we’ve received so far. It has truly inspired us to help develop volleyball in England and the UK as much as we can. Look out for a profile of the Sports Pledge programme in the next edition of 3Touch. Just Ace It! Peter Bakare & Nathan French
Richard Callicott OBE, André Meyer former CEV President and Geoff Allen
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VISIT OF GB VOLLEYBALL OLYMPIAN Rachel Laybourne to Southgate School
When Rachel Laybourne came to visit a Year 12 A Level PE class one afternoon, the students were totally absorbed by the engaging talk she gave outlining her journey up to and beyond the Olympics. Furthermore, the question and answer session that followed showed our students off in the very best light. Their questions were both thoughtful and probing, designed to uncover Rachel’s practical experience of the theory elements of the PE syllabus.
The PE Department’s students were fortunate to be visited by a Volleyball Olympian from London 2012 this week.
After school, she visited the volleyball club which is run in the sports hall in collaboration with local club, VK Barnet. Sean Poole, the coach instrumental in arranging the visit, was proud to show off to Rachel the skills that the Southgate
WORLD PARAVOLLEY Volleyball England are proud to announce that following the June Board meeting of World ParaVolley, Richard Callicott OBE has been invited to become the Chair of the Judicial Commission. The other members are: • Lori Okimura (USA) • Gordon Neale OBE (GBR) • Lex Herrebrugh (NED) • Dr Hossam Mostafa (EGY) • Cecile Reynaud (USA) • Craig Carracher (AUS) - tbc • Prof. Tansin Benn (GBR) - tbc
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students have developed. She in turn was very happy to play with and against our students, giving many of them a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Olympian was extremely impressed by the students’ energy, enthusiasm, commitment and ever-improving skills. We hope to welcome Rachel back in the very near future.
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NatWest Island Games 2015 – Indoor Volleyball The XVI Island Games, sponsored by NatWest Bank, was held in Jersey, Channel Islands, on 27 June - 3 July 2015. This was the second time that the island has hosted the games, the first being in 1997.
Volleyball England Officials, with Steve Evans (Technical Delegate) and Mira Caven, official from Finland.
The week-long event saw around 3,000 competitors from 24 small islands take part in 14 sports. The indoor volleyball tournament was contested by 18 teams (9 in each male and female categories). Along with regular teams (including the host nation, plus Saaremaa and Faroe Islands), the Isle of Man made a return after 30 years by entering a men’s and women’s team and the Shetland Isles returned with a men’s team after a 10 year absence. The tournament was held in Fort Regent, St Helier. With 2 courts side by side for all days except Finals Day and with the unique circular nature of the hall, the supporters and players could create an extremely noisy and vibrant atmosphere. Volleyball England was represented at the event, by providing 9 officials, Technical Delegates and Tournament Directors. Officials included Island Games regulars and first timers to the Games. For many, including the players and coaches, the tournament provided an excellent opportunity to sample
volleyball protocol, playing on Taraflex and refereeing to a very high standard. A very tight schedule, along with the hottest weather in Jersey for 20 years, meant an exhausting experience for all officials and volunteers and downtime was very much used up to the max! Although the tournament was played to a high standard, it provided good developmental opportunities for all referees and for many a first time to put into force the new rules introduced by FIVB in 2015. After a gruelling week, the overall winners
were the women’s and men’s team from Saaremaa, taking gold medals in both categories, the silver medal in each event went to the Faroe Islands teams. The men’s team had too much quality for the Faroes, eventually winning 3-0. In the women’s final Saaremaa were given a severe test by their Faroese opposition, who took the second set to level the match. A pivotal third set went Saaremaa’s way 25-22 and set them on course for a 3-1 victory.
Inside Fort Regent
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In the new Guidelines there is a comment about the current developments in behaviour.
R E E F E
Guideline Rule 20/21 Part 2
Rule 4.1 - Team Composition
Each team will be able to name 12 players including up to 2 Liberos for each match. The number of Liberos is clarified: where the team has 12 players they may have 0, 1 or 2 Liberos.
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A maximum of 5 staff members on the bench, including the coach, are chosen by the coach and listed on the score sheet. Comment: The bench personnel are no longer referred to as C, AC, AC, M and T.
Compression pads may be worn for protection or support in consideration of the player’s health. They should not be used as an aid in playing the ball and hence they should not include padding when worn on the arms.
Rule 6.1.3 - Rally and Completed Rally A rally is a sequence of playing actions from the moment of the service hit by the server until the ball is out of play. A completed rally is the sequence of playing actions which results in an award of a point. This includes the award of a penalty and the loss of service from a serving fault beyond the time limit.
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Contact with the net by a player between the antennae during the action of playing the ball is a fault. (Important: Between the antennae and also the whole body of the net). The action of playing the ball includes amongst others take-off, hit or attempt, and landing. Rule 11.4.4 - A Player Interferes with Play
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Rule 4.5 - Forbidden Objects
Rule 11.3 - Contact with the Net
By touching the net between the antennae, or the antenna itself during his/her action of playing the ball.
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It is important to remember, that according to rule 21.2.1, the behaviour of the participants should be respectful and courteous, also toward the officials, their team mates and spectators. This includes excessive play-acting or demonstration. A volleyball match is a sportive show of players, but not the team officials. It is the instruction that if the team officials indulge in this behaviour, the 1st Referee must strictly apply the sanctions scale. The show must be for the play on the court and not for peripheral issues which detract from the main purpose of entertaining the crowd with spectacular play. The consequence of this is therefore an immediate red card.
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Misconduct
The 2014 Guidelines stated that the ball contact with the floor was the first contact with the floor regardless of what happened subsequently. The ball contact is now considered with compression – the wording is now: “The ball is ‘in’ if at any moment of its contact with the floor, some part of the ball touches the court, including the boundary lines.”
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These briefing notes are to highlight the rule amendments that were adopted by FIVB in the Rules of Game from the 1 May 2015 and in Volleyball England competition from the 1 September 2015.
Rule 8.3 - Ball In
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Notes for all NVL Clubs, Coaches, Players and Referees.
FIVB RULES OF GAME 2015 UPDATE
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NOTE: There is no more legal contact below the net band. Players close to the ball as it is played, or who are trying to play it, are considered in the action of playing the ball, even if no contact is made with the ball.
If you have any queries, please contact the Referee Commission. Nick Heckford September 2015
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EAST LONDON AND ESSEX
MANAGER UPDATE
London and Essex were peppered with volleyball events across the summer months. Below are some of the highlights: May kicked off the summer activities by playing host to the Azimo Super 8s All Star Game 2015. This is an annual event that brings together some of the best players who compete in the top English volleyball league. Fantastic efforts from Sideout, Volleyfirst, YSB and sponsors Azimo ensured that the volleyball community were witness to a real showpiece event. June saw the culmination of months of hard work and preparation as the 11th All Nations Indoor Volleyball Tournament got underway. The magnitude of the event was most impressive and here are some key facts that bring it to life:
Key Facts: 8 volleyball courts 85 volleyballs 250 games 460 registered players 265 women 195 men 62 different countries represented 88 different volleyball clubs represented 36 volunteer coaches 300+ spectators at the finals Unlimited amount of fun and fantastic volleyball memories
players and vast improvements were seen in such a short space of time. Disability sport was celebrated in July in East London (Redbridge) and North London (Brent) with the WheelPower events. Adults and children with learning and physical disabilities were engaged in fun volleyball activities and the sport definitely saw some new and familiar faces, which was really encouraging. Beach East also appeared on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in July. This was unquestionably the largest urban beach in England, as 1000 tons of sand rolled onto Stratford Waterfront. Primary school beach volleyball taster sessions were delivered via the inspirational help of 6ft 8in Robert Poole, Young Senior England beach and indoor player. Across Active August, three full time beach volleyball activators were stationed at the Beach East volleyball court and over 1000 people from East London and across England came and had a go. The facility was inundated with people who wanted to take their shoes and socks off and get stuck in. Motivate East also offered sitting volleyball on the beach to anyone willing to give it a go. The good news is that the beach will be returning next year, with even more volleyball activities on offer.
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RELATIONSHIP
Although many of our coaches have been hard at work over the summer months, one local man deserves a special mention. Gary Beckford has been an integral part of volleyball delivery and development over the summer months. His coaching has spread far and wide from indoor to beach, sitting to standing, schools to work places. When I caught up with him, this is what he had to say:
“Community volleyball is so important to me and has been a part of my coaching for over 20 years. I was pleased to be involved in so many exciting volleyball projects across London and work with a cross section of the volleyball community at engagement days, neighbourhood games and local authority festivals over the summer. Now that autumn is upon us, I am looking forward to the next 12 months, working on a Junior All Nations Competition, delivering the 12th All Nations Competition but holding it over one weekend, expanding the successful recreational mixed indoor tournament series, developing work place and corporate tournaments and ensuring that London Lynx have success at Super 8s, Division 1, Local league, U18’s and U16’s competitions. When you are working with good people anything is possible!”
Congratulations to the female finalists, The Baltics, and 2015 female winners, Italy, and the male finalists, Italy, and 2015 male winners, Africa. Watch this space for next year’s event as this is one you don’t want to miss! At the end of June most schools nationally, including those within the Investment Zone, recognised the importance of the Youth Sport Trust School Sport Week. Volleyball coaches were in high demand as primary and secondary schools were keen to introduce volleyball to their pupils. A great example was St Mary Magdalene Academy in Islington who received an intensive 3-day volleyball programme. Schools pupils were converted to volleyball
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DORSET AND HANTS
SANDBANKS BEACH VOLLEYBALL FESTIVAL: 4-5 JULY 2015 Over 150 junior teams and in excess of 50 adult teams enjoyed two days of sunshine and sea breezes at the stunning location of Sandbanks beach. The spectacle of volleyball courts, two to three deep, spreading over 250 metres along the shoreline, with junior players ranging from under 10 years of age to their late teens, enjoying this healthy sport in the fresh air for two days, was amazing. The standard of play was very high as usual, with the top flight Division 1 (British Open Championship) players particularly putting on an exhibition of skilful, welltrained and well-practised volleyball, all good-natured and in a competitive but fun atmosphere. Competitions were run for ages U12, U14, U16, U18 and U20, with adults able to take part in men’s fours, women’s fours and mixed fours. The weekend was enjoyed equally by the experienced players as well as those trying their hand at beach volleyball for the first time. Players, their coaches and families commented on the good organisation, the continued friendliness of the Festival and how special it felt to play in an event with such a good legacy.
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RELATIONSHIP
MANAGER UPDATE
Participating teams came from various parts of the country, as far apart as Croyde and Wolverhampton and with large contingents from Richmond and Swindon. As in previous years, old friendships were renewed and new ones created. Overall, the two days were a great success. The organising committee, including Geoff Allen (Volleyball England President and former National Coach), would like to give enormous thanks to all those who helped out over the weekend. Special thanks go to the sponsors, in particular Revo and Mojo Bros, for providing the prizes and also to those presenting the prizes. SALISBURY VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT: 8-9 AUGUST 2015 The two-day Salisbury Volleyball Tournament, situated high up, with its beautiful backdrop of Salisbury Cathedral and the surrounding area, has been in existence since 2008. It started out with 14 teams at a very washed-out Laverstock Football Club before moving a year later to its new, and current, location - the Livestock Market in Netherhampton. The Livestock Market offers everything you need, from a good camping ground, ample showering and
changing facilities, a well stocked restaurant (which also hosts a Saturday night disco), to playing fields with scope for expansion over the coming years. Although 2015 saw a slight reduction in entries due to the One-Day Guildford Volleyball Tournament having to change its date to the same weekend, the event was still a great success, with many teams from Dorset and Hampshire taking part. This is possibly the only outdoor volleyball tournament in the UK to boast constant music being played over a tannoy system at the same time as running a 6’s competition from 09:30 to 15:00, changing to a separate 2’s competition from 15:30 to 18:30 on the Saturday, allowing the players to have a very satisfying day of volleyball. The 2’s are completed on the Saturday evening, leaving the Sunday for a crossover into the 6’s leagues, all playing for various trophies. Congratulations to the sub-committee and volunteers for all their time, effort and hard work in making the Salisbury Volleyball Tournament a great success.
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NORTH EAST
What did we do this summer? The North East summer time has been filled with fantastic activity. This has ranged from extending deep rooted traditions such as the 25th White Rose and 23rd Tynemouth Beach Volleyball Tournaments to brand new engagements with staff at car manufacturer Nissan’s Sunderland base and continuing projects from last year with Gibside National Trust and NE1 Ltd.
once again took place, entertaining teams from Haughton, Marden and Newburn, where it was clear to see the players’ skill development! A great testament to the proud club and satellite club coaches who have created the opportunities for these players to improve.
The summer activities kicked off with a bang in May when our Tyne and Wear clubs took over Newcastle City Centre for the Go Spike Big Weekend! Who would think that in the centre of a major city we could have grass, hard court, beach and sitting volleyball on offer for people of all ages and abilities to come and have a go? Our clubs had no problem in fulfilling the brief, along with a little help from our friends at NE1 Ltd and The Gate. This was amazing team work and wonderful spirit from all involved, which propelled us into a summer brimming with outdoor activities! In North Tyneside, Tynemouth Longsands is the place to be on a summer’s evening, where you will find one or more of our North East clubs training, socialising and generally taking advantage of the sunshine. Marden VC are the most frequent attendees and have seen numbers soar to over 30 participants per night following two blocks of Sportivate activity, one aimed at juniors and another at adult players. The activity drew the attention of Made in Tyne and Wear TV, who came down to the beach and filmed a feature on beach volleyball which involved presenters Mel Crawford and Andy Sixsmith going head to head. The show was aired in July in the series finale of ‘NE Sport’. Superb exposure for the sport and deserved recognition for a great club! In June the region got together for the 25th Annual White Rose Tournament organised and led by Haughton VC at the wonderful Middleton St George cricket club. The British summertime took a brief break on the day as a light drizzle filled the air for the majority of the tournament. It was nowhere near enough to stop our tough northerners, nor indeed BBC Tees’ presenter Lisa McCormick, from getting stuck into the competition! Volleyball was subsequently the focus of BBC Tees’ “Try Something New” feature, broadcast on their Saturday morning show. The sunshine brought more demand for volleyball as new developments with Tyne and Wear Sport’s Active Workplaces saw staff from a range of companies take part in a six week course of beach volleyball. Open weekly sessions continued on the iconic NE1 Quayside Seaside and the now established Junior Club Invitational Competition
While some clubs took a well-earned break through the summer months, others took to the outdoors and carried on weekly sessions with a view to attracting new players for the indoor season. Grangefield VC began sessions in Stockton’s Preston Park, Hartlepool VC took to Ward Jackson Park and Haughton VC to Stanhope Park in Darlington. Sportivate delivery continued in some of the region’s most beautiful parks and attractions, including National Trust Gibside and Middlesbrough’s Stewart Park. The 23rd Annual Tynemouth Beach Volleyball Tournament brought the region together again in mid-July, with over 100 competitors taking to the beach on each day to battle it out for the 2v2 and 4v4 titles! Ably led by Sue Sowden of Newburn VC, a huge combined effort from our Tyneside clubs allowed the event to be staged, utilising 8-10 courts each day! For the first time in the event’s history an evening celebration was planned for the Saturday night. Taking place at St James’ Park’s No.9 Bar, over £500 was raised in support of the MS Society and the Alan Shearer Foundation. Needless to say, there were some bleary eyes on court for the early games on Sunday morning! It was a fantastic weekend and a great celebration of North East Volleyball.
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MANAGER UPDATE
A TH AN M SA
RELATIONSHIP
Concurrent with the Tynemouth Beach Volleyball Tournament, 10 of our region’s coaches took their qualification to the next level, completing the final weekend of the UKCC Level 2 course, which was heavily subsidised via Tyne and Wear Sport and the European Social Fund. Reducing the financial strain on clubs and candidates is something we work hard together to achieve so that we can maximise the opportunities for volleyball across our region. Excellent effort and commitment has been displayed by all 10 candidates, who passed the delivered elements of the course, with the portfolio elements remaining to complete over the coming season. North East sitting volleyball entered a major planning stage, with new activity on the horizon across a number of different platforms. Engagement and collaboration between Tees Valley local authorities has increased significantly through the support of Tees Valley Sport. Go Spike sitting volleyball sessions are now under development in Hartlepool, Stockton, Redcar and Darlington, with their councils all benefitting from Sport England delivery and capital funding. In addition to this, existing partners Percy Hedley are soon to celebrate the opening of their new residential wing which incorporates a state of the art hydrotherapy pool. Part of the development included a refurbishment to the existing sports hall, which will become home to the North East’s only official sitting volleyball courts! Plans are being made as we speak to showcase the courts with a club invitational sitting volleyball competition. The North East was very proud to host the England Young Seniors Training Squad at Team Northumbria’s Sport Central for a weekend of intensive training and testing. Many of the region’s players included in the England Squad also represented Team Northumbria in the London Legacy Volleyball Cup this September at the Copper Box Arena. North East clubs also bolstered the second Go Spike Big Weekend and are refreshed to take on another energetic indoor season in both the local and NVL leagues. We will see more satellite clubs, more Go Spike opportunities (both sitting and indoor volleyball) and increased engagement across the North East volleyball network. Huge thanks to our fantastic clubs and our ever supportive partners across business, education, media and development. We could not achieve this progress without you. Onwards and upwards in the 2015-16 season!
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GREATER MANCHESTER
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RELATIONSHIP
Greater Manchester volleyball over the summer has been thriving. The summer programme began with the relaunch of the Manchester LPV festival. Over 70 junior teams and 40 volunteers from Wigan & Leigh College took part in the event at Leigh Sports Village. Congratulations to the award winners: U13 Boys Winners – Stoke City U13 Girls Winners – Fairfield High School for Girls (Tameside) U13 Boys Shield Winners – Radclyffe High School (Oldham) U13 Girls Shield Winners – Egglescliff High School (Stockton upon Tees) U15 Boys Winners – St Edmund Arrowsmith High School (Wigan) U15 Girls Winners – Liverpool U15 Boys Shield Winners – Radclyffe High School (Oldham) U15 Girls Shield Winners – St Edmund Arrowsmith High School (Wigan) It’s been an incredibly busy time for our Go Spike programme, with all twelve sessions and three sitting sessions continuing throughout the summer. Many of them have been taking part in the Big Weekend and socialising at the North West Summer Grand Prix. Whitworth Park in Manchester has been playing host to Blackley Volleyball Club, Moss Side VC and Northern Jump on a weekly basis
MANAGER UPDATE
this summer. Over 40 people are regularly joining in there, enjoying what the sport has to offer and getting the local community involved. Check out this short video: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=cAzqkqjU730#t=34 It’s been a busy planning period for the investment zone, with five new satellite clubs linked to City of Salford, Manchester Marvels and FC United. The Go Spike planning is also going well. With ambitions to launch 10 new sessions in 2015 – 2016, we are making great progress, having partnered with Bury Council and Bury FC. The programme will aim to change the sporting behaviour of women and girls, whilst driving up participation in the Bury Community. Sian Godwyn has been appointed the coordinator and I look forward to working with her over the next 12 months. Keep your eye out for a full article on the programme in our next 3Touch edition! Sian’s Bio: IWIYW (I Will If You Will) Coordinator / Activator “I have been involved in a variety of different roles within volleyball over the past eight years, from player to coach, referee and administrator. Having been lucky enough to be involved with the Volleyball England Youth Forum and the Beach Volleyball Olympics at London 2012, I am excited to take my knowledge and experience of our sport back to my local community, and the place where my volleyball journey began. I am thrilled to help increase volleyball in our region, starting with the community Go Spike Programme, in partnership with the IWIYW Programme across Bury. It’s going to be a fantastic venture that will empower and encourage more women and girls to take part in our sport.” In addition, its exciting times for Adrian Stores, Chair of Stockport Volleyball Club. I am particularly pleased to be supporting development of this new club. They have
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some great ambitions, including joining the Greater Manchester League and setting up a junior section at Cheadle Hulme High School. The launch of Stockport VC marks the formation of the fifth new club since the beginning of the Investment Zone in 2013. Get in touch with Adrian and the team at www.stockportvolleyball.co.uk if you’re interested in joining them and playing volleyball in the Stockport area.
If you’re reading this article and would like to get involved, please contact me at s.kerr@ volleyballengland.org. For more information about Go Spike, and for all the session details across Greater Manchester, please go to www.gospike.net.
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BLACK COUNTRY AND STAFFS
RELATIONSHIP
MANAGER UPDATE
What did you do this summer? Through the summer the focus has continued upon working with existing and new partners to develop and sustain volleyball opportunities within the investment zone. Being just a few months into the role, I am focussing on building my knowledge and understanding of the Black Country and Staffordshire to ensure the progress and sustainability of my predecessor’s work. Furthermore, with the addition of Birmingham and Shropshire as sub investment zone areas, forging new working relationships and exploring opportunities to develop new volleyball activities to the wider community has also been on the agenda. Some of the headlines are outlined below: Black Country • Sitting Volleyball: Working with local authority partners and non-profit organisations to upskill staff and volunteers in order to provide inclusive, accessible activities to the wider community around the health agenda for the autumn of 2015. Birmingham
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Shropshire • Developing a working relationship with Energize Telford, Shropshire and Wrekin County Sports Partnership, to map out opportunities to develop volleyball provision through Let’s Play satellite clubs and Further Education colleges within the Telford area. Staffordshire • Satellite Clubs: Sustaining five existing sites. Securing funding and setting up five new sites to commence from September 2015. • Go Spike: Working with local authority providers to access Sportivate funding, to gain support with setting up six new Go Spike recreation sessions (standing and sitting), rolling out from September 2015 to January 2016. • New Clubs: Supporting Stafford Volleyball Club to be set up officially and applying for funding to support and maintain planned growth via a Let’s Play satellite club and Go Spike session, based at Stafford College. Pictures are from the Sandwell Tournament that took place on Saturday 4 July 2015.
• Developing a working relationship with Sport Birmingham County Sports Partnership to support Go Spike opportunities within the city’s parks. Creating a Key Stage 4 boys’ pilot tournament for the February 2016 School Games.
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www.volleyballengland.org
HEVO Conference 2015
Young People Manager Rob Payne reports: The 5th Annual Higher Education Volleyball Officer (HEVO) Conference took place over the weekend of 26-27 September at the National Volleyball Centre in Kettering. The significant growth in Higher Education volleyball was demonstrated, with 76 students attending. This was a record number, and a 68% increase over 2014. The weekend was designed to equip the students with the knowledge, training and resources to maximise volleyball participation within their universities, delivered in an interactive and practical format. Seven handpicked Senior HEVO’s were also in attendance, adding lots of value to the weekend through their experiences of good practice and challenges within the programme. One of the highlights of the weekend was the UVolleyball Festival on Saturday night. HEVO’s were joined by inspirational Olympians Peter Bakare and Nathan French to experience the fun, party-like format of the sport with UV lights, glow in the dark balls, lines, face paints and music. Robyn Wisdom (HEVO from University of Bournemouth) highlighted her enjoyment:
It was evident that students were also inspired by the Go Spike Student Activator Award and Sitting Volleyball Workshop. They were captured playing sitting volleyball at 02:15 in the Holiday Inn:
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Lisa Wainwright (Chief Executive) stated: “I am delighted to see the phenomenal growth of the Higher Education Volleyball Programme. It’s ‘world-leading’ in its innovative approach to driving volleyball participation in universities across England. The HEVO Conference is an exciting and creative way to launch and link all the HEVO’s for the year ahead. The introduction of new formats such as UVolleyball demonstrates how volleyball can attract the masses with this crazy, party-like and nontraditional approach. These are our future players, volunteers and staff, and they are a pleasure to work with.” Young People Manager Rob Payne commented on the conference: “The whole weekend was a pleasure to be part of. The HEVO’s and Senior HEVO’s fully embraced the programme, demonstrating maturity and a willingness to learn. I am confident that their application of this knowledge will result in record numbers of students playing volleyball at Higher Education level”. See quotes opposite from HEVO’s and attendees on social media:
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n o d LLegoacny Volleyball Cup
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2015
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Score
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
0-3
11-25
11-25
14-25
1-3
15-25
25-23
14-25
0-3
17-25
22-25
16-25
0-3
11-25
20-25
22-25
Set 4
18-25
Set 5
Teams
ut London vs. Polonia Sideo bria Team Northum ndon vs. IBB Polonia Lo bria um rth No am Te RC Cannes vs. Schweriner SC atów vs. PGE Skra Belch hafen VfB Friedrichs
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Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Score
21-25
21-25
25-17
27-29
1-3 0-3
24-26
25-27
21-25
3-1
25-20
25-20
25-21
0-3
21-25
21-25
20-25
Set 5
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5 1 0 2 S ’ Y R U B S SAIN L L A B Y E L L O V S E M A G SCHOOL
The Sainsbury’s 2015 School Games Volleyball Competition took place at the Sugden Centre, Manchester, with the England Junior Men and England Cadet Women looking to defend the titles that they won in 2014. The Competition Schedule for Day 1 included matches for all teams, with early victories for the defending champions as England Cadets beat Scotland East (2-0) in the women’s competition and England Juniors beat Northern Ireland (2-0) in the men’s.
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Day 2 saw the completion of pool play matches and saw England Junior Women topping the pool matches with a 100% record. Scotland West clinched their place in the final after narrowly defeating the impressive England Cadets in the final pool match. In the men’s competition, England Juniors booked their place in the final, finishing top of the pool. They were joined by Scotland West, who finished just ahead of Scotland East, thanks to a narrow victory in the captivating and fiercely competitive match against Scotland East on Day 1. Finals Day was full of surprises and fully lived up to expectations. The first medal of the women’s competition was awarded to England Cadets as they defeated Scotland East to claim the bronze medal. The gold medal women’s game featured a re-match between Scotland West and the undefeated England Juniors. The pool match proved to be a highlight of the competition so far, with the closely fought game going in favour of England Juniors
(2-1). This time, the match was just as fiercely competitive, with Scotland West avenging the earlier defeat and clinching the third set 15-12 to take home the gold medal, as England Juniors lost their first match of the competition. In the men’s competition Scotland East edged out England Cadets in a close bronze medal match (25-22, 25-22). The gold medal match was a repeat of
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the women’s final as England Juniors took on Scotland West. The England Junior men started well in the first set, overpowering the Scotland West side with fantastic hitting performances, to take the set 25-14. England Juniors were able to resist the pressure from their opponents and held on in the second set to claim the set 25-22 and with it the gold medal. Men’s Super 6 consisted of Rhys Arthur - Scotland East Boys, Jack Williams - England Cadet Boys, Arran Simon England Junior Boys, Stuart MacKenzie - Scotland West Boys, Conor Walker Scotland West Boys and Alex McMullan - Northern Ireland Boys. And: Womens Super 6 consisted of Faye Hills - England Cadet Girls, Julianne Hendry - Scotland West Girls, Nicole Ramage - Scotland West Girls, Shona Fraser Scotland East Girls, Charlotte Breen - England Junior Girls and Christina Gillespy - Wales Girls. Congratulations to all the athletes who competed in such a fantastic competition and a huge thank you to the volunteers, officials, coaches and staff of the event. Photos courtesy of www.volleyballphotos.co.uk
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T B E V
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s l a n Fi
www.volleyballengland.org After a long season travelling around the country, the players gathered for the final time in Margate to provide a thrilling finale to the season. In the run up to the finals the Tour had visited several seaside resorts nationwide including Skegness, Great Yarmouth, Weston-Super-Mare and Weymouth, with these two final days in Margate bringing the 2015 VEBT to an end. The two days competition featured some of the top ranked teams in the country, along with Junior and Challenger competitions running alongside. The fields were very competitive and included National Teams from England and Scotland. In the men’s competition the talented young English pair of Allen/Poole showed tremendous form to reach the semi-finals but eventually were knocked out by Wilson/Miedzybrodzki 2-0. Chevau/Dyakiewicz reached a final for the very first time by defeating the pairing of Rendon Peiro/Silva in a tight match 2-1. The final was contested between the top ranked team Wilson/Miedzybrodzki and Chevau/ Dyakiewicz. After a very close opening set the tournament favourites from America and Scotland respectively came through to claim their first VEBT National title together 23-15, 21-15. The women’s draw was very competitive with a host of very strong teams vying for the crown of National Champions. The first semi-final was a hard fought contest and a great spectacle of beach volleyball. Gless/Medricka fought valiantly but were just overcome by the England team of Grimson/ Palmer 21-15, 15-21, 15-7. The second semi final saw fifth seeds Jurikova/Healy take on the number two seeds from Scotland Coutts/Beattie. The Scottish pair put on a strong display to progress to the final which turned out to be one of the encounters of the weekend. Grimson/Palmer claimed their second title in consecutive years in a hard fought match which kept everyone on the edge of their seats, 21-19, 2022, 15-12. Evans/Austin claimed the junior girls title after beating Llewellyn/Machado 2-0 (21-12, 21-19). The Challenger event held alongside the Finals was won by the young team of Cranch/Constable in the women’s and Walrond/Allen won the men’s competition. Lisa Wainwright, Chief Executive Volleyball England “What a fantastic weekend of beach volleyball in Margate. The crowds were impressive and I am sure they enjoyed watching some of the best players from all over the country. I must thank Thanet District Council, Canterbury Christchurch University and the numerous volunteers that all contributed to the success of the event. Not to forget the amazing athletes, officials and of course our Tour partners Itsu and Sideout for all their continued support ”
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tion, c a l l a b y e l l o v each b f o l l u f d e k c a to the p d r n e e m y t i m l u a s u a q r h e Aft ng hig i t t fi a d ur. e o d T i v h o c r a p e s B l a d n n i a F l T l Eng the VEB 2015 Volleybal
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G I B Weekend
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Over 2000 people give volleyball a go during Go Spike Big Weekends: Volleyball takes centre stage yet again with over 80 Big Weekend events in 2015.
2015 saw not one but two Go Spike Big Weekends. The first was over the late May Bank Holiday weekend, kicking off the summer season, with the second taking place over the August Bank Holiday, offering a perfect opportunity to celebrate the summer and kick start indoor sessions. The May Big Weekend has proved in previous years to be one of the most popular weekends of the volleyball calendar, and this May was no exception! Events took place from Plymouth to Newcastle – a fantastic 39 events in total. Holding a second Go Spike Big Weekend over the August Bank Holiday was a first for 2015 but it proved to be extremely popular, with over 45 event organisers signing up from the Isle of Wight to Sunderland. We would like to say a huge thank you to our clubs and volunteers who worked hard to put on these events and ensured they were a great success. You made the Go Spike Big Weekend! With most events taking place in parks and on beaches, there was a real sense of community spirit, with clubs welcoming all to come along and give volleyball a go, regardless of age, gender or ability. Leeds Volleyball Club hosted their Yorkshire 2-a-side Beach Series event in collaboration with the Go Spike Big Weekend. The first series ran at Bridlington South Shore Beach, and was a huge success. All events saw a great turnout, especially in Bristol, Norfolk, Dorset and Hampshire.
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Following on from their Event of The Year success at the 2015 Volleyball England Annual Awards, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University, supported by their Higher Education Volleyball Officers (HEVO’s), put on another excellent event at Wollaton Park. Seven courts were in use, as well as a sitting volleyball court, and the ever popular Speed Cage. The event saw around 150 people give volleyball a go. Down in Devon, Plymouth Mayflower hosted their great familyfriendly Go Spike Big Weekend Event, including fun games and competitions (even a rock pooling contest!), sitting volleyball, a BBQ and recreational games going on all evening – with the nets staying up until dark. In Tyne & Wear, our Volleyball Relationship Manager, Samantha Jamieson, set up a Volleyball Takeover, with four Big Weekend events taking place in the City Centre. There was something for everyone, with three disciplines of the sport (indoor, beach and sitting volleyball) on offer, all being led by some of the biggest teams in the North East. The Quayside Seaside was hugely popular as the people of Newcastle took full advantage of the Bank Holiday sun!
August saw downpours of rain but that didn’t stop the event organisers braving the English Summer. InterBristol Tip Top ran an event at Hope Cove, South West. The club members had a great time meeting lots of new people, with over 100 children and adults taking part. A tournament also took place with 16 teams of 4 playing all day in an adults tournament, and 30 children from 4-16 joining in the children’s games. If you were at a Big Weekend Event, we’d love to hear from you! Email, share or tweet your photos using the hashtag #GoSpikeBW2015. For more information on Go Spike, visit www.gospike.net. Be sure to follow us on Facebook (search Go Spike – Get Into Volleyball) and Twitter (@Go_Spike) to keep up to date with all the latest Go Spike news and events. Additionally if your club wishes to establish a Go Spike open recreational session (for ages 16+), there are many benefits to running a Go Spike session, such as potential new players and volunteers to help with the running of the club, not to mention the increased revenue a club can receive from running a Go Spike session. Please contact Sam Harding, s.harding@volleyballengland.org, Tel: 01509 227742, or contact your local Volleyball Relationship Manager: Rachel Laybourne, East London & Essex: r.laybourne@volleyballengland.org Liz Fletcher, Black Country & Staffordshire: l.fletcher@volleyballengland.org Samantha Jamieson, Teesside & Tyne & Wear: s.jamieson@volleyballengland.org Mark Simmons, Dorset & Hampshire: m.simmons@volleyballengland.org Steve Kerr, Greater Manchester: s.kerr@volleyballengland.org
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UPDATE E C N A N R E V O G At the 2015 Annual General Meeting that was held on 25th July 2015 at SportPark, Loughborough University the following candidates were elected to Director and Commission President positions: • President - Geoff Allen • Finance Director - John Boughton • Playing Director - Jefferson Williams • Performance Commission President Alex Bialokoz • Coaches Commission President Gillian Harrison Two nominations were received for the role of President; Geoff Allen and Tracy Watkinson. After counting the votes, the AGM elected Geoff Allen; we congratulate Geoff who will now move into his 2nd year of Presidency and serve a further 2 year term of office. Existing Directors Jefferson Williams, Playing Director, and John Boughton, Finance Director, were re-elected for a further 2 year term of office. Alex Bialokoz was formally elected to the role of Performance Commission President and is returning to the post following a short break after previously holding the post for 3.5 years. Alex is looking forward to continuing to drive and develop the performance pathway with the support of some “top people” supporting the Commission. The Coaches Commission President position became vacant after the current Commission President, Richard Harrison, stated his intention not to seek re-election at the 2015 AGM. We would like to express our extreme gratitude to Richard Harrison for the commitment and drive he has given to the Coaches Commission over a number of years. Elected to the Coaches Commission President role was Gillian Harrison. Gillian started to play volleyball at secondary school in Scotland and after moving to England and playing for first division team Speedwell, she started a team in Stroud winning the South West league, National League Division 3 and bringing the team into Division 2. Gillian is very experienced in coaching, she has been a staff tutor for over 30 years, tutoring level I, II and III courses. She recently moved to Shropshire, where she was warmly welcomed after contacting Telford Volleyball Club, and is now hoping they let her do some coaching! She would like to achieve a vibrant and active workforce of coaches, activators, tutors and leaders to support the growth of volleyball and improve performance. Volleyball England would like to congratulate all candidates who were nominated for election. If you did not have a chance to see the AGM live this can be viewed on the YouTube stream on Volleyball England TV, https://www.youtube.com/ user/Englandvolleyball. Advisory Groups
Volleyball England has ambitious aims for the sport looking towards 2024. Following on from two series of successful Volleyball Voice events, we are keen to ensure a continued deeper engagement with the wider volleyball community to increase the skillset and the breadth of talent involved in planning within our sport. The Board of Volleyball England agreed earlier this
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AGM
year to the formation of three Advisory Groups to support the development of the Sport as follows. Following advertisement and selection the Volleyball England Board have appointed members of the volleyball community with relevant skills and expertise to join co-opted Board members, staff and external experts to form these groups. Details of the groups and their members can be found below.
Marketing, Communications & Commercial Advisory Group A group to provide strategic oversight and practical delivery advice to the brand marketing, internal & external communications and commercial revenue generation areas of the organisation. Internal Representatives Chair: A representative from the Executive Board (Delvin Lane) The Association’s Participation Director (Rohan West)
The Volleyball Knowledge An insight advisory group to direct and provide strategic overview to the collection and use of insight and market research within the organisation.
The Association’s Communications & Marketing Manager (Ruth Norfolk) The Association’s Major Events & Commercial Manager (Sanjib Sahota)
Internal Representatives
External Representatives
Chair: A representative from the Executive Board (Delvin Lane)
Jane Ruffle – 15 years’ experience as a Commercial Lawyer, including Director of Legal at Ticketmaster and Senior Director Sport at London 2012. Particular expertise in brand management, sponsorship and licensing.
The Association’s Participation Director (Rohan West) External Representatives Prof Zoe Radnor - Professor of Service Operations Management at Loughborough University. Exemplary track record of designing and undertaking research projects with experience of securing grants. Dr Helen Ives - Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise at the University of Bedfordshire. Involvement with the Volleyball England HEVO programme and also supporting her students to undertake research with Volleyball England. Dr Joe Piggin - Lecturer in Sport Management and Policy at Loughborough University. Programme Director for the MSc Sport Management, students will be able to undertake dissertations on mutually beneficial topics. Ken Edwards – In previous employment undertook a variety of projects around research and data analysis, including commissioning market research for the International Division of National Westminster Bank. More than 45 years involvement in volleyball, including leading possibly the first EVA market research project. Dr Dena Bellamy – Academic and business research experience – PhD and financial, economic and commercially orientated research in the investment banking sector. 25 years of playing volleyball. Knowing our Neighbours An advisory group to direct and provide strategic overview for the barriers to participation for BME and unrepresented groups/communities in England. Internal Representatives Chair: A representative from the Executive Board (Will Roberts) The Association’s Participation Director (Rohan West) The Association’s Membership and Funding Manager (Ian Poynton) The Association’s Membership and Business Support Officer (Hannah Winsbury)
Adam Newsam – Managing Director at tmSport, Ticketmaster, with a range of previous roles within the organisation, with particular skills in ticketing strategy, pricing operations and sales. Expert Representative on the London 2012 bid team. David Allan – An inspiring and visionary business leader with a demonstrable successful track record gained within the consumer goods industry, mainly in the UK, but also with experience of international distributor development. Jeff Ruffolo – US based sports communications & PR expert, with a history of Olympic Volleyball commentary, journalism and press relations. Kara Griffiths – A well-known and highly respected member of the West Midlands volleyball community via Tamworth Spartans VC, Kara brings a wealth of strategic communications knowledge to the group through her role as Head of Communications - Estates at the University of Birmingham.
Rohan West (Participation Director): “This represents an exciting new opportunity for Volleyball England to develop cutting edge insight to increase participation and engagement and ensure our programmes meet the needs of the whole community and are well promoted.” Should you require any further information or would like to feed in to the work of the Advisory Groups please contact the staff lead for each group: The Volleyball Knowledge – Rohan West, r.west@volleyballengland.org Knowing our Neighbours – Ian Poynton, i.poynton@volleyballengland.org Marketing, Communications & Commercial – Rohan West, r.west@volleyballengland.org
External Representatives Cisel Ormanci – Coaches a Bangladeshi / Pakistani team and is a qualified and experienced teacher of English as an Additional Language. Currently working as a Teaching Assistant supporting a range of pupils and also helping at sports events. Angie Gutierrez Palisoc – Chairperson of Blackley Volleyball Club in Manchester – the club is multi-racial and from a Filipino background herself. Michael Johnson – Ex-professional footballer and Jamaican international player. Sits on the Professional Footballers Association. Maryam Amatullah – A Breeze Champion for British Cycling’s pioneering women’s programme. Maryam is also a qualified cycle leader working with women across Leicester who usually would not take part to start considering to get on a bike. Winner of the Unsung Hero at the 2015 British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards.
If you would like to download a copy of the Governance Structure diagram, please visit our website at www.volleyballengland.org
WHITEFIELD VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT After being held for 32 years in the centre of Bath, the 41st Whitefield Volleyball Tournament moved to its new venue at the South Bristol Sports Centre. Feedback from the teams has been very positive, with many commenting on the additional space available, both for playing and camping, but also in terms of the social facilities. The new venue allowed us to slightly increase the size of the tournament to 147 teams playing on 28 courts, split into 10 divisions. On the Saturday they play for places in the top part of the division or the plate. On the Sunday, therefore, everyone starts with a chance of winning a trophy. There was, as always, strong competition across all divisions but the matches were played in a very friendly atmosphere. A big feature of the tournament is the large gathering of family members and friends who come to visit, watch the matches and socialise. Before the event there had been concerns from some neighbours who were unfortunately used to being disturbed by football tournaments and “It’s a Knock-Out” events. We had struggled to convince them that “volleyball was not like that” but after the event received some really supportive feedback from neighbours. Typical of their comments were:
“The players themselves were excellent people and it was good to see sportsmanship like this without all the bad language and shouting you get with other sports. We experienced very little noise disturbance at night and were impressed that there was absolutely no rubbish at all left around the pitch afterwards. We came down on both Saturday and Sunday to enjoy watching the matches and it all seemed very well organised, with everyone enjoying themselves. Congratulations to everyone involved in organising the weekend event and I am looking forward to seeing its return in the future. ” So, volleyball has gained some new friends and supporters!
2015
Congratulations to the winners of the 10 divisions: Stolen Llloveable Club, Malory, Inter Mixed, Purbrook Park, Riga, Umbongo, Can’t Think Right Now, Smell of Desire, Group Sets and St Albans Rascals. Overall, 40 teams collected awards and there is a full list below. Congratulations also go to Belper Volleyball Club, awarded the Bill Daniel Spirit of the Tournament Award on their first visit. We were also blessed with good weather and all in all it was a great weekend. While there were a few “teething problems” in using a new venue, we are sure that we will be able to sort out these small issues and are confident that most divisions will again be full very soon after entries open in late March 2016. The provisional date for the 2016 tournament is 23-24 July 2016. We hope to see many old friends and some new entrants in 2016. Ron Richards Tournament Director, Whitefield Volleyball Tournament
RESULTS: Division
Plate Winners HOT (Er) EGVC Fancy Pants Wombourne
Runners Up
Winners
Mixed Div 4 Mixed Div 3A Mixed Div 3 Men’s Div 3
Plate Runners Up HOT (Not) Salisbury Zara’s Zimmers KS Gryf
Bubble & Squeak Mixed Nuts I’d Hit That Yeovil VC
Mixed Div 2 Women’s Div 2 Men’s Div 2 Mixed Div 1 Women’s Div 1 Men’s Div 1
Uptown Volleys Tonbridge Angels South Hants Men Avengers Yeovil VC Team Byram
Dartford Blowouts London Dynamo Nottingham Casualties Tinter Mavericks Kernow
Bath Buddies That’s What She Set WF Spartans The A Team Oxform Ladies RIGA
St Albans Rascals Group Sets Smell of Desire Can’t Think Right Now Umbongo RIGA Purbrook Park Inter Mixed Malory Stolen Llloveable Club
Bill Daniel Spirit of the Tournament Award
Belper Volleyball Club
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